Omaha daily bee., 1887-06-08

mashers', and which are rectangular
planes OF wood with neck and hand
holes. The gloomy, small depository.
room of these torture implements we
what q European medieval chamber of
fiustice" has been.
We were next taken in our sedan chairs
through an overcrowded busy part of the
city to the execution ground, passing on
our way the new Roman Catholic cathe-
dral,. whose gigantic spiaes pierce the
clouds. The execution ground we found
to be a small enclosed rectangular space,
about fifteen yards by fifty. entered by n
gate. On the right on entering ran n
row of small squalid houses, the habita.
tions Of potters, whose rough, .unbaked
work lay about on the ground, drying in
the sun, but we were informed that 1t was
cleared away when an execution was
about to take place. Facing the potteas'
houses was high wall, at whose base,
and leaning against 1t, were some large
carthed over except one. Here our guide
introduced us to three poorly.dressed
Chnaman whom we noticed gambling ut
q fan-tan table, near the gate on our ar
rival. One, a big, brutish-looking fellow
with a villainous cast in one of his eyes,
was the head executioner and the other
two, who were smallish men, were his
assistants. Through our guide we told
the head executiOners that we wished to
see the instruments of his calling. and
thereon he produced short, very heavy
two.handed sword and long knife. The
following conversation was carried on be
tween us and this boss through the
medium of our guide:
How do you use this sword9 Where
is the blockY" I'VE don't use a block.
What we do Is to make the prisoners
l. ~ a ,v,N co. ptv,Sp
other and bending their heads down.
Then take the sword and chop. chop,
one on each side and the heads fall Off;
so on till they're all done as you'd switch
the tops of green weeds with your walk
ing stick"
"But you don't always chop a head off
with one blow?" Always
What is the knife for?" "For the
ling eche, or death by many cuts. Wetie
the culprlt who is condemned to this
death to that cross there (pointing to two
rough Embarked sticks roughly crossed)
and we commence by cutting off the eye.
lids, ears, nose and so on, ending by
sticking the knife into the heart. The
cuts vary in number from eight to 100, ac-
cording to the Nervousness of the cul-
prits Grimes
ed to the ling chez" "Parricides, matri-
cides and women who have killed and
mutilated their husbands for the major.
ity.''
DO the executions interfere with your
appetite and sleep?"
The three executioners grinned sar-
donically at this question, so we asked:
How many persons have you executed
n day9"
II have chopped twenty heads off in
two minutes. See that dark-looking
place on the ground over there-that's
caused by the blood of the last batch we
had"
"What is done with the bodies9"
''Jhe friends take the bodies away, but
we keep the heads in the crooks over by
the wall there, and when we have large
number which are no longer identifiable
we bury them. Would you like to see
some of the heads?'
We declined, and one of my compan.
ions began to grow pale and complain of
not feeling well, so we ordered the guide
to lead us away
Gentlemen, give twenty cents each,
cumshaw, to the executloners, said the
guide, which we gladly did to escape
from the staring Of the "boss" butchers
swivel eye; and so ended our interview
with these high executioners of the great
Chinese empire.